Systems and methods for facilitating transactions of virtual items between users of an online game

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for facilitating transactions of virtual items between users of an online game are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: receive a sales request that indicates a selling user will be offering for sale a particular virtual item from a seller&#39;s inventory through an online sales platform; assign the ownership of the particular virtual item temporarily to a holding account; publish a sales listing of the particular virtual item on the online sales platform; receive sales information from the online sales platform indicating whether the particular virtual item has been purchased; assign the ownership of the particular virtual item to the buyer&#39;s account; and transfer at least a portion of a sales amount received from the buying user to the seller&#39;s account.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for facilitatingtransactions of virtual items between users of an online game.

BACKGROUND

Players of online games buying virtual items that can be used in theonline game is known. Players selling virtual items to other players isknown. Online sales platforms are known.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system configured forfacilitating transactions of virtual items between users of an onlinegame. The system may include one or more hardware processors configuredby machine-readable instructions. The processor(s) may be configured tomanage user accounts for the users in the online game. Individual onesof the user accounts may be associated with individual ones of theusers. The individual ones of the user accounts may include individualuser inventories of virtual items that are usable within the online gameby the individual ones of the users. The users may include a sellinguser. The selling user may be associated with a seller's account. Theseller's account may include a seller's inventory of one or more virtualitems that are usable by the selling user within the online game. Theprocessor(s) may be configured to receive a sales request that indicatesthe selling user will be offering for sale a particular virtual itemfrom the seller's inventory through an online sales platform. Ownershipof the particular virtual item may be assigned to the seller's account.The processor(s) may be configured to assign the ownership of theparticular virtual item temporarily to a holding account such that theselling user is unable to transfer or modify the ownership of theparticular virtual item while the ownership of the particular virtualitem is assigned to the holding account, responsive to receipt of thesales request. The holding account may be not under control of theselling user. The processor(s) may be configured to generate a saleslisting of the particular virtual item for publication on the onlinesales platform. The sales listing may include pricing information forprospective buying users and descriptive information that describes theparticular virtual item. The processor(s) may be configured toeffectuate the publication of the sales listing of the particularvirtual item on the online sales platform, e.g., for a limited duration.The processor(s) may be configured to receive sales information from theonline sales platform indicating whether the particular virtual item hasbeen purchased. The processor(s) may be configured to identify a buyer'saccount of a buying user that has effectuated a purchase of theparticular virtual item through the online sales platform, responsive toreceipt of the sales information indicating the particular virtual itemhas been purchased. The buyer's account may include a buyer's inventoryof virtual items that are usable by the buying user within the onlinegame. The processor(s) may be configured to assign the ownership of theparticular virtual item to the buyer's account, responsive to receipt ofthe sales information indicating the particular virtual item has beenpurchased, such that the particular virtual item is included in thebuyer's inventory and accessible to be used by the buying user withinthe online game. The processor(s) may be configured to transfer at leasta portion of a sales amount received from the buying user to theseller's account. The processor(s) may be configured to assign theownership of the particular virtual item to the seller's account,responsive to receipt of the sales information indicating the particularvirtual item has not been purchased.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method forfacilitating transactions of virtual items between users of an onlinegame. The method may include managing user accounts for the users in theonline game. Individual ones of the user accounts may be associated withindividual ones of the users. The individual ones of the user accountsmay include individual user inventories of virtual items that are usablewithin the online game by the individual ones of the users. The usersmay include a selling user. The selling user may be associated with aseller's account. The seller's account may include a seller's inventoryof one or more virtual items that are usable by the selling user withinthe online game. The method may include receiving a sales request thatindicates the selling user will be offering for sale a particularvirtual item from the seller's inventory through an online salesplatform. Ownership of the particular virtual item may be assigned tothe seller's account. The method may include assigning the ownership ofthe particular virtual item temporarily to a holding account such thatthe selling user is unable to transfer or modify the ownership of theparticular virtual item while the ownership of the particular virtualitem is assigned to the holding account, responsive to receipt of thesales request. The holding account may be not under control of theselling user. The method may include generating a sales listing of theparticular virtual item for publication on the online sales platform.The sales listing may include pricing information for prospective buyingusers and descriptive information that describes the particular virtualitem. The method may include effectuating the publication of the saleslisting of the particular virtual item on the online sales platform,e.g., for a limited duration. The method may include receiving salesinformation from the online sales platform indicating whether theparticular virtual item has been purchased. The method may includeidentifying a buyer's account of a buying user that has effectuated apurchase of the particular virtual item through the online salesplatform, responsive to receipt of the sales information indicating theparticular virtual item has been purchased. The buyer's account mayinclude a buyer's inventory of virtual items that are usable by thebuying user within the online game. The method may include assigning theownership of the particular virtual item to the buyer's account,responsive to receipt of the sales information indicating the particularvirtual item has been purchased, such that the particular virtual itemis included in the buyer's inventory and accessible to be used by thebuying user within the online game. The method may include transferringat least a portion of a sales amount received from the buying user tothe seller's account. The method may include assigning the ownership ofthe particular virtual item to the seller's account, responsive toreceipt of the sales information indicating the particular virtual itemhas not been purchased.

As used herein, any association (or relation, or reflection, orindication, or correspondency) involving servers, processors, clientcomputing platforms, users, accounts, inventories, virtual items,requests, offers, listings, purchases, sales amounts, portions,verifications, determinations, identifications, publications, and/oranother entity or object that interacts with any part of the systemand/or plays a part in the operation of the system, may be a one-to-oneassociation, a one-to-many association, a many-to-one association,and/or a many-to-many association or N-to-M association (note that N andM may be different numbers greater than 1).

As used herein, the term “obtain” (and derivatives thereof) may includeactive and/or passive retrieval, determination, derivation, transfer,upload, download, submission, and/or exchange of information, and/or anycombination thereof. As used herein, the term “effectuate” (andderivatives thereof) may include active and/or passive causation of anyeffect, both local and remote. As used herein, the term “determine” (andderivatives thereof) may include measure, calculate, compute, estimate,approximate, generate, and/or otherwise derive, and/or any combinationthereof.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present technology,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As usedin the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system configured for facilitating transactions ofvirtual items between users of an online game, in accordance with one ormore implementations.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method for facilitating transactions of virtualitems between users of an online game, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIGS. 3-4 illustrate transactional diagrams of actions and transactionsperformed in a system that facilitates transactions of virtual itemsbetween two users of an online game, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 configured for facilitating transactionsof virtual items between users of an online game, in accordance with oneor more implementations. For example, the online game may be providedand/or hosted by one or more gaming platforms 105. In someimplementations, system 100 may include one or more servers 102, one ormore processors 140, electronic storage 138, one or more clientcomputing platforms 104, one or more gaming platforms 105, one or moreonline sales platforms 142, one or more blockchains 144, one or moreuser interfaces 146, and/or other components. Server(s) 102 may beconfigured to communicate with one or more client computing platforms104 according to a client/server architecture and/or otherarchitectures. Client computing platform(s) 104 may be configured tocommunicate with other client computing platforms via server(s) 102and/or according to a peer-to-peer architecture and/or otherarchitectures. Users may access system 100 via client computingplatform(s) 104.

The users may include one or more selling users, one or more buyingusers, and/or other users. For example, the users may include a firstselling user, a second selling user, a first buying user, a secondbuying user, a first user, a second user, a third user, and so forth.

Server(s) 102 may be configured by machine-readable instructions 106.Machine-readable instructions 106 may include one or more instructioncomponents. The instruction components may include computer programcomponents. The instruction components may include one or more ofaccount component 108, sale request component 110, ownership component112, listing component 114, publication component 116, sales informationcomponent 118, buyer component 120, payment component 122, refundcomponent 124, seller component 126, notification component 128, userinput component 132, verification component 134, and/or otherinstruction components.

Account component 108 may be configured to manage user accounts forusers, including but not limited to the users in an online game. In someimplementations, account component 108 may be configured to manage userinventories for users, including but not limited to the users in anonline game. Individual ones of the user accounts may be associated withindividual ones of the users. For example, a seller's account may beassociated with a selling user (also referred to as a seller), a buyer'saccount may be associated with a buying user (also referred to as abuyer), a first user account may be associated with a first user, asecond user account may be associated with a second user, and so forth.The individual ones of the user accounts may include individual userinventories of virtual items that are usable within the online game bythe individual ones of the users. For example, the seller's account mayinclude a seller's inventory, the buyer's account may include a buyer'sinventory, the first user account may include a first user inventory,the second user account may include a second user inventory, and soforth. The virtual items included in an inventory may include virtualobjects, characters, avatars, skills, abilities, virtual currency,virtual content of the online game, access rights within the onlinegame, rights to (future) benefits within the online game, and/or othervaluables within the online game.

In some implementations, account component 108 may be configured tomanage user accounts in one or more online sales platforms 142. In someimplementations, account component 108 may be configured to facilitate alink or connection between user accounts of users within the online gameand user accounts in one or more online sales platforms 142.

Sale request component 110 may be configured to receive requests fromusers, including but not limited to sales requests. In someimplementations, a request may involve a modification in the ownershipof one or more virtual items. In some implementations, a sales requestmay indicate a user, e.g. the selling user, who will be offering forsale a particular virtual item, e.g., from the seller's inventory. Asused herein, auctions may be considered a type of sale. In someimplementations, virtual items may be offered for sale through onlinesales platform 142. In some implementations, virtual items may beoffered for sale through gaming platform 105. In some implementations, aparticular user may offer a virtual item for sale if the particular userowns the virtual item and/or owns the right to sell the virtual item (orthe right to offer the virtual item for sale). In some implementations,ownership of virtual items may be established by and/or based on thevirtual items being included in particular inventories. In someimplementations, ownership of virtual items may be established by and/orbased on assignment of the ownership to particular user accounts and/orinventories. In some implementations, ownership of virtual items may berecorded in a digital ledger, decentralized database, blockchain, and/orother mechanism that includes electronic storage. For example,assignments of the ownership of the particular virtual item may berecorded on blockchain 144 that stores a registry of assets andtransactions. In some implementations, the assets of blockchain 144 mayinclude the particular virtual item. In some implementations, ownershipof the particular virtual item may be assigned, prior to a sale, to theseller's account. This may be referred to as the seller owning theparticular virtual item.

Ownership component 112 may be configured to determine, assign, and/orotherwise modify ownership of virtual items, including but not limitedto virtual items that are usable within one or more online games. Forexample, ownership component 112 may be configured to assign theownership of a particular virtual item to a particular user account. Insome implementations, modifications of ownership may be temporary. Forexample, ownership component 112 may be configured to assign theownership of a particular virtual item temporarily to a holding account.For example, the holding account may be not associated with (and/orotherwise under control of) user accounts such as a seller's account ora buyer's account. In some implementations, the holding account may holdvirtual items in escrow during transactions between users. In someimplementations, assigning the ownership of the particular virtual itemtemporarily to the holding account may be performed such that theselling user is further unable to transfer, sell, and/or otherwise usethe particular virtual item within the online game (e.g., at least whileownership is assigned to the holding account). This may prevent changesto the particular virtual item during a sales transaction. In someimplementations, actions performed by ownership component 112 (e.g.,determinations, assignments, and/or modifications) may be performed inresponsive to actions performed by other components of system 100,including but not limited to sale request component 110.

In some implementations, ownership component 112 may be configured toassign the ownership of a particular virtual item to a buyer's account,e.g., responsive to receipt of sales information indicating theparticular virtual item has been purchased by a buyer. Subsequent tosuch an assignment, the particular virtual item may be included in abuyer's inventory and accessible to be used by the buying user withinthe online game.

In some implementations, ownership component 112 may be configured toassign the ownership of a particular virtual item to the seller'saccount, responsive to receipt of sales information indicating theparticular virtual item has not been purchased. For example, a sellermay have offered the particular virtual item for sale (such that theownership was assigned to a holding account). Responsive to adetermination that the particular virtual item has not been sold,ownership component 112 may be configured to assign the ownership fromthe holding account back to the seller's account.

In some implementations, subsequent to a purchase of a particularvirtual item by a buyer, ownership component 112 may be configured toassign the ownership of the particular virtual item temporarily to aholding account, responsive to receipt of a refund request by the buyer.In some implementations, subsequent to receipt of the refund request,the buying user may be unable to transfer or modify the ownership of theparticular virtual item while the ownership of the particular virtualitem is (temporarily) assigned to the holding account. Subsequent to therefund request being deemed legitimate and/or otherwise valid, ownershipcomponent 112 may be configured to assign the ownership of theparticular virtual item back to the original seller's account, such thatthe particular virtual item is included in the seller's inventory andaccessible to the used by the selling user within the online game.Alternatively, subsequent to the refund request being deemed notlegitimate and/or otherwise not valid, ownership component 112 may beconfigured to assign the ownership of the particular virtual item to thebuyer's account, effectively rejecting the refund request.

Listing component 114 may be configured to generate sales listings ofvirtual items for publication on online sales platform 142. A particularsales listing for a particular virtual item may include pricinginformation for prospective buyers, descriptive information thatdescribes the particular virtual item, and/or other information. In someimplementations, a sales listing may include multiple require fields andone or more optional fields of relevant information. In someimplementations, one or more fields may be filled automatically, e.g.,by listing component 114, based on information received by sale requestcomponent 110. In some implementations, a seller may be prompted toprovide and/or confirm information for one or more fields such thatgeneration of a particular sales listing may be completed.

Publication component 116 may be configured to effectuate publication ofsales listings on online sales platform 142. In some implementations, aparticular sales listing may be published for a limited duration. Forexample, an auction may have a limited duration. In someimplementations, online sales platform 142 may support an ApplicationProgramming Interface (API) for the publication of sales listings. Insome implementations, online sales platform 142 may be external togaming platform 105 and/or system 100. For example, in someimplementations, online sales platform 142 may be EBay™, Amazon™, Etsy™,and/or another platform that supports online sales transactions.

Sales information component 118 may be configured to receive informationfrom online sales platform 142, including but not limited to salesinformation pertaining to sales activity. In some implementations, salesinformation may indicate whether a particular virtual item has beenpurchased. In some implementations, sales information may indicatewhether a particular sales listing has received a bid. In someimplementations, sales information from online sales platform 142pertaining to a particular sales listing may be received upon expirationof a limited duration that is associated with the particular saleslisting.

Buyer component 120 may be configured to identify accounts, includingbut not limited to user accounts of buyers of virtual items. Forexample, buyer component 120 may be configured to identify a buyer'saccount of a buying user that has effectuated a purchase of a particularvirtual item through online sales platform 142. In some implementations,identification may be performed responsive to receipt of salesinformation indicating a particular virtual item has been purchased. Thebuyer's account may include a buyer's inventory of virtual items thatare usable by the buying user within the online game. In someimplementations, identifying the buyer's account of the buying user mayinclude generating a redemption code for the particular virtual item. Insome implementations, assigning the ownership of the particular virtualitem to the buyer's account may be performed responsive to redemption ofthe redemption code, e.g., by the buyer. In some implementations, abuyer may have a user account with online sales platform 142 (i.e., atthe moment of the purchase of a particular virtual item), but not withgaming platform 105. In such a case, buyer component 120 may beconfigured to facilitate the creation of a buyer's account with gamingplatform 105. Once the buyer's account is created and subsequentlyidentified, ownership of a purchased virtual item may be assigned to thebuyer's account.

Payment component 122 may be configured to transfer payments betweendifferent accounts and/or different users, including a seller's account,a buyer's account, and/or other user accounts. In some implementations,payment component 122 may receive payments on behalf of buyers, e.g.from online sales platform 142. In some implementations, paymentcomponent 122 may receive payments on behalf of sellers. In someimplementations, payment component 112 may be configured to transfer atleast a portion of a sales amount received from a buying user to aseller's account. In some implementations, for example in case of arefund, payment component 122 may be configured to receive at least aportion of the sales amount from the original seller's account. In someimplementations, for example in case of a refund, payment component 122may be configured to transfer at least a portion of a sales amount tothe original buyer's account. Payment component 122 may be configured toshare portions of payments with other stakeholders, including but notlimited to online sales platform 142 (e.g., a sales service fee or atransaction fee), gaming platform 105, an original creator or designerof the sold virtual item, and/or other interested parties.

Refund component 124 may be configured to receive refund requests.and/or other refund-related information. In some implementations, arefund request may indicate a buyer is attempting to revert a particularpurchase of a particular virtual item. In some implementations, a refundrequest may be received through online sales platform 142 on behalf ofthe buyer. In some implementations, a refund request may be receivedthrough gaming platform 105.

Seller component 126 may be configured to determine and/or identifyaccounts of sellers. For example, seller component 126 may be configuredto identify a seller's account of a selling user from whom a buying useroriginally purchased a particular virtual item. For example, sellercomponent 126 may be configured to determine, store, and/or otherwisemanage historic purchase information for purchased virtual items. Insome implementations, seller component 126 may be configured todetermine correlations between sellers and buyers based on salestransactions between the sellers and buyers.

Notification component 128 may be configured to create, generate,present, and/or transfer notifications to users. For example,notification component 128 may be configured to notify a particularselling user that a particular buying user is attempting to revert aparticular purchase of a particular virtual item. In someimplementations, notification component 128 may be configured to notifya particular buying user that a particular selling user is attempting torevert a particular sale of a particular virtual item. In someimplementations, notifying the selling user may include requesting theselling user to return at least the second portion of the sales amount.In some implementations, notifying the buying user may includerequesting the buying user to return the purchased virtual item. In someimplementations, notifications may be presented to users through userinterfaces 146.

User input component 132 may be configured to receive user input fromusers, for example through client computing platforms 104. In someimplementations, user input component may receive user input from aselling user, a buying user, and/or other users. For example, user inputmay confirm the selling user's consent to publication of the saleslisting. The publication of the sales listing may be effectuatedsubsequent to a verification whether the selling user has ownership ofthe particular virtual item. The publication of the sales listing may beeffectuated subsequent to receipt of the user input from the sellinguser. In some implementations, publication of the sales listing on theonline sales platform may effectuate an auction for the particularvirtual item. In some implementations, user input component 132 may beimplemented through user interfaces 146.

User interfaces 146 may be configured to facilitate interaction betweenusers and system 100 and/or between users and client computing platforms104. For example, user interfaces 146 may provide an interface throughwhich users may provide information to and/or receive information fromsystem 100. In some implementations, user interface 146 may include oneor more of a display screen, touchscreen, monitor, a keyboard, buttons,switches, knobs, levers, mouse, microphones, sensors to capture voicecommands, sensors to capture body movement, sensors to capture handand/or finger gestures, and/or other user interface devices configuredto receive and/or convey user input. In some implementations, one ormore user interfaces 146 may be included in one or more client computingplatforms 104. In some implementations, one or more user interfaces 146may be included in system 100.

Verification component 134 may be configured to perform verificationspertaining to sales activities. For example, a verification may verifywhether a particular sales request is associated with a user and/or auser account. For example, a verification may verify whether aparticular sales request is associated with a user account of a userthat is allowed to initiate sales transactions. For example, averification may verify whether a refund request is legitimate and/orvalid such that a particular purchase of a particular virtual itemshould be reverted. In some implementations, verifications may be basedon information in the registry that is stored in blockchain 144.

By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplarytransactional diagram 30 of actions and transactions performed in system100. A first transaction in transactional diagram 30 represents a saleof a particular virtual item from user 11 to user 12, and is initiatedby a sales request 31 from user 11 to gaming platform 105. Subsequent tosales request 31, an assignment 32 assigns the ownership of theparticular virtual item to a holding account on blockchain 144. In someimplementations, assignments may be initiated by gaming platform 105 andimplemented by blockchain 144. Subsequent to assignment 32, a listing 33is generated and published on online sales platform 142. Subsequent topublishing the sales listing, user 12 purchases the particular virtualitem through a purchase 34 (accompanied by a sales amount, notdepicted). Sales information pertaining to purchase 34 may be providedto blockchain 144. Subsequently, an assignment 35 assigns the ownershipof the particular virtual item to the account of user 12. A payment 36(presumably the lion share received from user 12) is transferred to theseller, user 11. A second transaction depicted in transactional diagram30 of FIG. 3 represents a refund of the particular virtual item fromuser 12 back to user 11, and is initiated by a refund request 37 fromuser 12 to online sales platform 142. Information pertaining to therefund request may be provided to blockchain 144. Subsequent to refundrequest 37, an assignment 38 assigns the ownership of the particularvirtual item to a holding account on blockchain 144. A payment 39(presumably the lion share received by user 11) is received from user 11and transferred to gaming platform 105. Subsequently, a payment 41 istransferred back to the original buyer, user 12. An assignment 40assigns to ownership of the particular virtual item to the originalseller, user 11. The order of the actions in transactional diagram 30 isexemplary and not intended to be limiting.

By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplarytransactional diagram 50 of actions and transactions performed in system100. A first transaction in transactional diagram 50 represents a saleof a particular virtual item from user 11 to user 12, and is initiatedby a sales request 51 from user 11 to gaming platform 105. Subsequent tosales request 51, a command 52 is transmitted to blockchain 144, whichin response performs an assignment 53 that assigns the ownership of theparticular virtual item to a holding account on blockchain 144.Subsequent to sales request 51, a listing 54 is generated and publishedon online sales platform 142. Subsequent to publishing the saleslisting, user 12 purchases, through online sales platform 142, theparticular virtual item through a purchase 55 (accompanied by a salesamount, not depicted). Sales information pertaining to purchase 55 maybe provided to blockchain 144 and/or gaming platform 105. Subsequently,a command 56 is transmitted to gaming platform 105, which in responsetransmits a command 57 to blockchain 144, which in response performs anassignment 58 that assigns the ownership of the particular virtual itemto the account of user 12. A payment 59 (presumably the lion sharereceived from user 12) is transferred to the user account of the seller,user 11. As shown in relation to the transaction initiated by salesrequest 51, in some implementations, online sales platform 142 may notdirectly access blockchain 144, but rather use gaming platform 105 (oranother entity) as an intermediary to effectuate actions taken by and/oron blockchain 144.

A second transaction depicted in transactional diagram 50 of FIG. 4represents a refund of the particular virtual item from user 12 back touser 11, and is initiated by a refund request 60 from user 12 to onlinesales platform 142. A command 61 responsive to the refund request may betransmitted to blockchain 144. In response to command 61, an assignment62 assigns the ownership of the particular virtual item to a holdingaccount on blockchain 144. In response to refund request 60, a command63 may be transmitted to gaming platform 105, which in response providesa payment request 64 to user 11. Payment request 64 requests user 11 tomake a payment 65 (presumably the lion share received by user 11 throughpayment 59). Subsequently, a payment 66 is transmitted from gamingplatform 105 to online sales platform 142, and a refund payment 69 isreceived by user 12. A command 67 may be transmitted to blockchain 67,which in response performs an assignment 68 that assigns the ownershipof the particular virtual item to the original seller, user 11. Theorder of the actions in transactional diagram 50 is exemplary and notintended to be limiting. For example, additional payments may be made togaming platform 105, online sales platform 142, and/or otherstakeholders, e.g., for sales fees, service fees, commissions, profitsharing, and/or other benefits or entitlements.

Referring to FIG. 1, in some implementations, server(s) 102, clientcomputing platform(s) 104, and/or external resources 136 may beoperatively linked via one or more electronic communication links. Forexample, such electronic communication links may be established, atleast in part, via one or more networks 13 such as the Internet and/orother networks. It will be appreciated that this is not intended to belimiting, and that the scope of this disclosure includes implementationsin which server(s) 102, client computing platform(s) 104, and/orexternal resources 136 may be operatively linked via some othercommunication media.

A given client computing platform 104 may include one or more processorsconfigured to execute computer program components. The computer programcomponents may be configured to enable an expert or user associated withthe given client computing platform 104 to interface with system 100and/or external resources 136, and/or provide other functionalityattributed herein to client computing platform(s) 104. By way ofnon-limiting example, the given client computing platform 104 mayinclude one or more of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheldcomputer, a tablet computing platform, a NetBook, a Smartphone, a gamingconsole, and/or other computing platforms.

External resources 136 may include sources of information outside ofsystem 100, external entities participating with system 100, and/orother resources. In some implementations, some or all of thefunctionality attributed herein to external resources 136 may beprovided by resources included in system 100.

Server(s) 102 may include electronic storage 138, one or more processors140, and/or other components. Server(s) 102 may include communicationlines, or ports to enable the exchange of information with a networkand/or other computing platforms. Illustration of server(s) 102 in FIG.1 is not intended to be limiting. Server(s) 102 may include a pluralityof hardware, software, and/or firmware components operating together toprovide the functionality attributed herein to server(s) 102. Forexample, server(s) 102 may be implemented by a cloud of computingplatforms operating together as server(s) 102.

Electronic storage 138 may include non-transitory storage media thatelectronically stores information. The electronic storage media ofelectronic storage 138 may include one or both of system storage that isprovided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with server(s)102 and/or removable storage that is removably connectable to server(s)102 via, for example, a port (e.g., a USB port, a firewire port, etc.)or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.). Electronic storage 138 mayinclude one or more of optically readable storage media (e.g., opticaldisks, etc.), magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape,magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc.), electrical charge-basedstorage media (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media(e.g., flash drive, etc.), and/or other electronically readable storagemedia. Electronic storage 138 may include one or more virtual storageresources (e.g., cloud storage, a virtual private network, and/or othervirtual storage resources). Electronic storage 138 may store softwarealgorithms, information determined by processor(s) 140, informationreceived from server(s) 102, information received from client computingplatform(s) 104, and/or other information that enables server(s) 102 tofunction as described herein.

Processor(s) 140 may be configured to provide information processingcapabilities in server(s) 102. As such, processor(s) 140 may include oneor more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuitdesigned to process information, an analog circuit designed to processinformation, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronicallyprocessing information. Although processor(s) 140 is shown in FIG. 1 asa single entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In someimplementations, processor(s) 140 may include a plurality of processingunits. These processing units may be physically located within the samedevice, or processor(s) 140 may represent processing functionality of aplurality of devices operating in coordination. Processor(s) 140 may beconfigured to execute components 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122,124, 126, 128, 132, and/or 134, and/or other components. Processor(s)140 may be configured to execute components 108, 110, 112, 114, 116,118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 132, and/or 134, and/or other componentsby software; hardware; firmware; some combination of software, hardware,and/or firmware; and/or other mechanisms for configuring processingcapabilities on processor(s) 140. As used herein, the term “component”may refer to any component or set of components that perform thefunctionality attributed to the component. This may include one or morephysical processors during execution of processor readable instructions,the processor readable instructions, circuitry, hardware, storage media,or any other components.

It should be appreciated that although components 108, 110, 112, 114,116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 132, and/or 134 are illustrated inFIG. 1 as being implemented within a single processing unit, inimplementations in which processor(s) 140 includes multiple processingunits, one or more of components 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122,124, 126, 128, 132, and/or 134 may be implemented remotely from theother components. The description of the functionality provided by thedifferent components 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126,128, 132, and/or 134 described below is for illustrative purposes, andis not intended to be limiting, as any of components 108, 110, 112, 114,116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 132, and/or 134 may provide more orless functionality than is described. For example, one or more ofcomponents 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 132,and/or 134 may be eliminated, and some or all of its functionality maybe provided by other ones of components 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118,120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 132, and/or 134. As another example,processor(s) 140 may be configured to execute one or more additionalcomponents that may perform some or all of the functionality attributedbelow to one of components 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124,126, 128, 132, and/or 134.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 for facilitating transactions of virtualitems between users of an online game, in accordance with one or moreimplementations. The operations of method 200 presented below areintended to be illustrative. In some implementations, method 200 may beaccomplished with one or more additional operations not described,and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally,the order in which the operations of method 200 are illustrated in FIG.2 and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In some implementations, method 200 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 200 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 200.

An operation 202 may include managing user accounts for the users in theonline game. Individual ones of the user accounts may be associated withindividual ones of the users. The individual ones of the user accountsmay include individual user inventories of virtual items that are usablewithin the online game by the individual ones of the users. The usersmay include a selling user. The selling user may be associated with aseller's account. The seller's account may include a seller's inventoryof one or more virtual items that are usable by the selling user withinthe online game. Operation 202 may be performed by one or more hardwareprocessors configured by machine-readable instructions including acomponent that is the same as or similar to account component 108, inaccordance with one or more implementations.

An operation 204 may include receiving a sales request that indicatesthe selling user will be offering for sale a particular virtual itemfrom the seller's inventory through an online sales platform. Ownershipof the particular virtual item may be assigned to the seller's account.Operation 204 may be performed by one or more hardware processorsconfigured by machine-readable instructions including a component thatis the same as or similar to sale request component 110, in accordancewith one or more implementations.

An operation 206 may include assigning the ownership of the particularvirtual item temporarily to a holding account such that the selling useris unable to transfer or modify the ownership of the particular virtualitem while the ownership of the particular virtual item is assigned tothe holding account, responsive to receipt of the sales request. Theholding account may be not under control of the selling user. Operation206 may be performed by one or more hardware processors configured bymachine-readable instructions including a component that is the same asor similar to ownership component 112, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

An operation 208 may include generating a sales listing of theparticular virtual item for publication on the online sales platform.The sales listing may include pricing information for prospective buyingusers and descriptive information that describes the particular virtualitem. Operation 208 may be performed by one or more hardware processorsconfigured by machine-readable instructions including a component thatis the same as or similar to listing component 114, in accordance withone or more implementations.

An operation 210 may include effectuating the publication of the saleslisting of the particular virtual item on the online sales platform fora limited duration. Operation 210 may be performed by one or morehardware processors configured by machine-readable instructionsincluding a component that is the same as or similar to publicationcomponent 116, in accordance with one or more implementations.

An operation 212 may include receiving sales information from the onlinesales platform indicating whether the particular virtual item has beenpurchased. Operation 212 may be performed by one or more hardwareprocessors configured by machine-readable instructions including acomponent that is the same as or similar to sales information component118, in accordance with one or more implementations.

An operation 214 may include identifying a buyer's account of a buyinguser that has effectuated a purchase of the particular virtual itemthrough the online sales platform, responsive to receipt of the salesinformation indicating the particular virtual item has been purchased.The buyer's account may include a buyer's inventory of virtual itemsthat are usable by the buying user within the online game. Operation 214may be performed by one or more hardware processors configured bymachine-readable instructions including a component that is the same asor similar to buyer component 120, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

An operation 216 may include assigning the ownership of the particularvirtual item to the buyer's account, responsive to receipt of the salesinformation indicating the particular virtual item has been purchased,such that the particular virtual item is included in the buyer'sinventory and accessible to be used by the buying user within the onlinegame. Operation 216 may be performed by one or more hardware processorsconfigured by machine-readable instructions including a component thatis the same as or similar to ownership component 112, in accordance withone or more implementations.

An operation 218 may include transferring at least a portion of a salesamount received from the buying user to the seller's account. Operation218 may be performed by one or more hardware processors configured bymachine-readable instructions including a component that is the same asor similar to payment component 122, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

An operation 220 may include assigning the ownership of the particularvirtual item to the seller's account, responsive to receipt of the salesinformation indicating the particular virtual item has not beenpurchased. Operation 220 may be performed by one or more hardwareprocessors configured by machine-readable instructions including acomponent that is the same as or similar to ownership component 112, inaccordance with one or more implementations.

Although the present technology has been described in detail for thepurpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be themost practical and preferred implementations, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology isnot limited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, isintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it isto be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to theextent possible, one or more features of any implementation can becombined with one or more features of any other implementation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system configured for facilitating refunds froman external online sales platform for refundable transactions of virtualitems between users of an online game, wherein the users include a firstplayer of the online game and a second player of the online game, thesystem comprising: a decentralized database configured to store aregistry of assets and transactions, wherein the assets include aparticular virtual item, wherein ownership of the particular virtualitem is assigned to an account of the first player, wherein thedecentralized database represents a blockchain, and wherein assignmentsof the ownership of the particular virtual item are recorded on theblockchain; a gaming platform including one or more hardware processorsconfigured by machine-readable instructions to: manage user accounts forthe users in the online game, wherein individual ones of the useraccounts are associated with individual ones of the users, wherein theindividual ones of the user accounts include individual user inventoriesof virtual items that are usable within the online game by theindividual ones of the users, wherein the first player is associatedwith a first player's account, and wherein the first player's accountincludes a first player's inventory of one or more virtual items thatare usable by the first player within the online game; receive a salesrequest that indicates the first player will be offering for sale theparticular virtual item from the first player's inventory through theexternal online sales platform, wherein ownership of the particularvirtual item is assigned to the first player's account, and wherein theexternal online sales platform is external to the system, thedecentralized database, and the gaming platform; and transmit a commandto the decentralized database to assign the ownership of the particularvirtual item temporarily to a holding account such that the first playeris unable to transfer or modify the ownership of the particular virtualitem while the ownership of the particular virtual item is assigned tothe holding account, wherein the holding account is not under control ofthe first player; wherein the decentralized database is furtherconfigured to receive the command from the gaming platform and executethe command such that the ownership of the particular virtual item istemporarily assigned to the holding account; wherein the one or morehardware processors included in the gaming platform are furtherconfigured by machine-readable instructions to: generate a sales listingof the particular virtual item for publication on the external onlinesales platform, wherein the sales listing includes pricing informationfor prospective buying users and descriptive information that describesthe particular virtual item; effectuate, through a first function callof an Application Programming Interface (API) supported by the externalonline sales platform, the publication of the sales listing of theparticular virtual item on the external online sales platform for alimited duration, wherein the publication of the sales listing iseffectuated subsequent to a verification whether the first player hasownership of the particular virtual item according to an assignmentrecorded on the blockchain, and wherein the verification is based oninformation in the registry that is stored in the decentralizeddatabase; receive sales information from the external online salesplatform indicating whether the particular virtual item has beenpurchased; responsive to receipt of the sales information indicating theparticular virtual item has been purchased, identify a second player'saccount of the second player that has effectuated a purchase of theparticular virtual item through the external online sales platform,wherein the second player's account includes a second player's inventoryof virtual items that are usable by the second player within the onlinegame; and subsequent to receipt of the sales information indicating theparticular virtual item has been purchased, receive a second command toassign the ownership of the particular virtual item to the secondplayer's account; wherein the one or more hardware processors includedin the gaming platform are further configured to transmit a thirdcommand to the decentralized database to assign the ownership of theparticular virtual item to the second player's account; wherein thedecentralized database is further configured to receive the thirdcommand from the gaming platform and execute the third command such thatthe ownership of the particular virtual item is assigned from theholding account to the second player's account and recorded on theblockchain, such that the particular virtual item is included in thesecond player's inventory and accessible to be used by the second playerwithin the online game; wherein the one or more hardware processorsincluded in the gaming platform are further configured by themachine-readable instructions to: responsive to receipt of the salesinformation indicating the particular virtual item has been purchased,transfer at least a portion of a sales amount received from the secondplayer to the first player's account; responsive to receipt of the salesinformation indicating the particular virtual item has not beenpurchased, transmit a fourth command to the decentralized database toassign the ownership of the particular virtual item to the firstplayer's account; wherein the decentralized database is furtherconfigured to: receive the fourth command from the gaming platform andexecute the fourth command such that the ownership of the particularvirtual item is assigned from the holding account to the first player'saccount and recorded on the blockchain; subsequent to receipt of thesales information indicating the particular virtual item has beenpurchased, receive a first refund command based on a refund request fromthe second player that indicates the second player is attempting torevert the purchase of the particular virtual item, wherein the firstrefund command is received through the Application Programming Interface(API) supported by the external online sales platform, wherein therefund request is received through the external online sales platform onbehalf of the second player, wherein the first refund command aims tocause the decentralized database to assign and record the ownership ofthe particular virtual item temporarily to the holding account,responsive to receipt of the first refund command, such that the secondplayer is unable to transfer or modify the ownership of the particularvirtual item while the ownership of the particular virtual item isassigned to the holding account, wherein the holding account is notunder control of the second player; identify the first player's accountof the first player from whom the second player purchased the particularvirtual item; wherein the one or more hardware processors included inthe gaming platform are further configured by the machine-readableinstructions to: notify the first player that the second player isattempting to revert the purchase of the particular virtual item;request at least a second portion of the sales amount from the firstplayer's account; receive the second portion of the sales amount fromthe first player's account; transfer a second refund command to thedecentralized database to assign and record the ownership of theparticular virtual item from the holding account to the first player'saccount, such that the particular virtual item is included in the firstplayer's inventory and accessible to be used by the first player withinthe online game; and effectuate, through the Application ProgrammingInterface (API) supported by the external online sales platform, atransfer of at least a third portion of the sales amount to the secondplayer's account to complete reverting the purchase of the particularvirtual item as requested by the second player through the refundrequest.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardwareprocessors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:effectuate a presentation of the generated sales listing to the firstplayer through a client computing platform that is associated with thefirst player; and receive user input from the first player through theclient computing platform, wherein the user input confirms the firstplayer consent to the publication of the sales listing; wherein thepublication of the sales listing is effectuated subsequent to receipt ofthe user input from the first player.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinthe sales information from the external online sales platform thatindicates whether the particular virtual item has been purchased isreceived upon expiration of the limited duration.
 4. The system of claim1, wherein notifying the first player includes requesting the firstplayer to return at least the second portion of the sales amount.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors arefurther configured by machine-readable instructions to: perform averification whether the refund request is legitimate such that thepurchase of the particular virtual item should be reverted; whereinassigning the ownership of the particular virtual item to the firstplayer's account is performed responsive to the verification.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein assigning the ownership of the particularvirtual item temporarily to the holding account is performed such thatthe first player is further unable to use the particular virtual itemwithin the online game.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein publication ofthe sales listing on the external online sales platform effectuates anauction for the particular virtual item.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein identifying the second player's account of the second playerincludes generating a redemption code for the particular virtual item,and wherein assigning the ownership of the particular virtual item tothe second player's account is performed responsive to redemption of theredemption code.
 9. A method for facilitating refunds from an externalonline sales platform for refundable transactions of virtual itemsbetween users of an online game, wherein the users include a firstplayer of the online game and a second player of the online game, themethod comprising: storing, by a decentralized database, a registry ofassets and transactions, wherein the assets include a particular virtualitem, wherein ownership of the particular virtual item is assigned to anaccount of the first player, wherein the decentralized databaserepresents a blockchain, and wherein assignments of the ownership of theparticular virtual item are recorded on the blockchain; managing, by agaming platform including one or more hardware processors configured bymachine-readable instructions, user accounts for the users in the onlinegame, wherein individual ones of the user accounts are associated withindividual ones of the users, wherein the individual ones of the useraccounts include individual user inventories of virtual items that areusable within the online game by the individual ones of the users,wherein the first player is associated with a first player's account,and wherein the first player's account includes a first player'sinventory of one or more virtual items that are usable by the firstplayer within the online game; receiving, by the gaming platform, asales request that indicates the first player will be offering for salea particular virtual item from the first player's inventory through anexternal online sales platform, wherein ownership of the particularvirtual item is assigned to the first player's account, and wherein theexternal online sales platform is external to the decentralized databaseand the gaming platform; transmitting a command to the decentralizeddatabase to assign the ownership of the particular virtual itemtemporarily to a holding account such that the first player is unable totransfer or modify the ownership of the particular virtual item whilethe ownership of the particular virtual item is assigned to the holdingaccount, wherein the holding account is not under control of the firstplayer; receiving, by the decentralized database, the command from thegaming platform and executing the command such that the ownership of theparticular virtual item is temporarily assigned to the holding accountsuch that the first player is unable to transfer or modify the ownershipof the particular virtual item while the ownership of the particularvirtual item is assigned to the holding account, wherein the holdingaccount is not under control of the first player; generating a saleslisting of the particular virtual item for publication on the externalonline sales platform, wherein the sales listing includes pricinginformation for prospective buying users and descriptive informationthat describes the particular virtual item; effectuating, through afirst function call of an Application Programming Interface (API)supported by the external online sales platform, the publication of thesales listing of the particular virtual item on the external onlinesales platform for a limited duration, wherein the publication of thesales listing is effectuated subsequent to a verification whether thefirst player has ownership of the particular virtual item according toan assignment recorded on the blockchain, and wherein the verificationis based on information in the registry that is stored in thedecentralized database; receiving sales information from the externalonline sales platform indicating whether the particular virtual item hasbeen purchased; responsive to receipt of the sales informationindicating the particular virtual item has been purchased, identifying asecond player's account of a second player that has effectuated apurchase of the particular virtual item through the external onlinesales platform, wherein the second player's account includes a secondplayer's inventory of virtual items that are usable by the second playerwithin the online game; subsequent to receipt of the sales informationindicating the particular virtual item has been purchased, receiving asecond command to assign the ownership of the particular virtual item tothe second player's account; transmitting a third command to thedecentralized database to assign the ownership of the particular virtualitem to the second player's account; receiving, by the decentralizeddatabase, the third command from the gaming platform and executing thethird command such that the ownership of the particular virtual item isassigned from the holding account to the second player's account andrecorded on the blockchain, such that the particular virtual item isincluded in the second player's inventory and accessible to be used bythe second player within the online game; responsive to receipt of thesales information indicating the particular virtual item has beenpurchased, transferring at least a portion of a sales amount receivedfrom the second player to the first player's account; and responsive toreceipt of the sales information indicating the particular virtual itemhas not been purchased, transmitting a fourth command to thedecentralized database to assign the ownership of the particular virtualitem to the first player's account; receiving, by the decentralizeddatabase, the fourth command from the gaming platform and executing thefourth command such that the ownership of the particular virtual item isassigned from the holding account to the first player's account andrecorded on the blockchain; subsequent to receipt of the salesinformation indicating the particular virtual item has been purchased,receiving a first refund command based on a refund request from thesecond player that indicates the second player is attempting to revertthe purchase of the particular virtual item, wherein the first refundcommand is received through the Application Programming Interface (API)supported by the external online sales platform, wherein the refundrequest is received through the external online sales platform on behalfof the second player, wherein the first refund command aims to cause thedecentralized database to assign and record the ownership of theparticular virtual item temporarily to the holding account, responsiveto receipt of the first refund command, such that the second player isunable to transfer or modify the ownership of the particular virtualitem while the ownership of the particular virtual item is assigned tothe holding account, wherein the holding account is not under control ofthe second player; identifying the first player's account of the firstplayer from whom the second player purchased the particular virtualitem; notifying the first player that the second player is attempting torevert the purchase of the particular virtual item; requesting at leasta second portion of the sales amount from the first player's account;receiving the second portion of the sales amount from the first player'saccount; transferring a second refund command to the decentralizeddatabase to assign and record the ownership of the particular virtualitem from the holding account to the first player's account, such thatthe particular virtual item is included in the first player's inventoryand accessible to the used by the first player within the online game;and effectuate, through the Application Programming Interface (API)supported by the external online sales platform, a transfer of at leasta third portion of the sales amount to the second player's account tocomplete reverting the purchase of the particular virtual item asrequested by the second player through the refund request.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising: effectuating a presentation ofthe generated sales listing to the first player through a clientcomputing platform that is associated with the first player; andreceiving user input from the first player through the client computingplatform, wherein the user input confirms the first player consent tothe publication of the sales listing; wherein the publication of thesales listing is effectuated subsequent to receipt of the user inputfrom the first player.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the salesinformation from the external online sales platform that indicateswhether the particular virtual item has been purchased is received uponexpiration of the limited duration.
 12. The method of claim 9, whereinnotifying the first player includes requesting the first player toreturn at least the second portion of the sales amount.
 13. The methodof claim 9, further comprising: performing a verification whether therefund request is legitimate such that the purchase of the particularvirtual item should be reverted; wherein assigning the ownership of theparticular virtual item to the first player's account is performedresponsive to the verification.
 14. The method of claim 9, whereinassigning the ownership of the particular virtual item temporarily tothe holding account is performed such that the first player is furtherunable to use the particular virtual item within the online game. 15.The method of claim 9, wherein publication of the sales listing on theexternal online sales platform effectuates an auction for the particularvirtual item.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the secondplayer's account of the second player includes generating a redemptioncode for the particular virtual item, and wherein assigning theownership of the particular virtual item to the second player's accountis performed responsive to redemption of the redemption code.